Your Essential Guide
Knocking a tooth out is the stuff of nightmares for many of us, but knowing what to do if it happens can take so much of the panic and uncertainty away. As the emergency dentist Chelmsford patients trust, we have seen our fair share of knocked-out teeth in our time. The more prepared a patient is if they do find themselves dealing with one, the better results we will be able to achieve when you make it to your appointment. So here are our top tips on what to do if you have knocked a tooth out!
Pick the tooth up
Pick the tooth up right away so you can see what kind of condition it is in. You should never pick a knocked-out tooth out by the root, as you want to keep it clean. Instead, hold it by the crown, the white part that sticks out of the gum. This will ensure that you keep the root in the best possible condition and increase the chance of the tooth being reattached successfully.
Keep it clean
Once you have the tooth in your hand, check to see if it is dirty. If it needs to be cleaned, do this using milk, saline or saliva. If you are cleaning it with saliva, make sure that it is your own. If you are dealing with a child who has knocked a tooth out, then be sure to clean it with their saliva if you don’t have anything else to hand. Don’t worry, we will clean the tooth further when you come in to us.
Put it back in
If you can put the tooth back in, this will really help. Try to put it back into the hole in the gum if you can do so easily. Once it is back in, then bite down on a clean cloth to hold it in place. Then you can come in to us, and we will be able to take it from there. If the tooth does not go back in easily, don’t force it.
A note on infant teeth: do not put these back into the hole in the gum, as this can damage the adult tooth that is waiting to come through.
If you can’t put the tooth back in
If putting the tooth back in isn’t possible, then don’t worry! You can put it in either milk or saliva to keep it fresh. If you are using saliva, the same applies to keeping your tooth in it as it does cleaning it: use your own saliva for your tooth, and your child’s if it is theirs.
Here to help you
By taking note of all of the above, you can really boost the chances of saving your tooth. We’ll know exactly what to do when you get to us, so stay calm and follow all of our tips!
